Sergio Vega

Given Vega's pedigree as bassist for such groove-core champions as Quicksand and Deftones, and the cast of supporting players he employs on this EP, The Ray Martin Sessions sounds nothing like what you'd expect. With a little help from several of his NYC hardcore friends, Vega's solo debut is a mishmash of laid-back Elliott Smith-like indie pop ("Off the Top" and "Everybody Loves Love"), chug rock ("Come Home Soon") and acoustic shuffle ("So Over You" and "Old School Beatdown"). Some of it works and some of it doesn't, which leads me to conclude that Vega is better suited to playing in an ensemble than trying to pass himself off as anything more than an average songwriter.